Tool for forming axle housings



Feb. 27, 1934. A c, SCOTT 1,948,544

TOOL FOR FORMING AXLE HOUSINGS Filed NOV. 24, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l MM@WW Xx? adj/5.

Feb. 27, 1934. Q SCOTT 1,948,544

TOOL FOR FORMING AXLE HOUSINGS Filed Nov. 24, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2(Zhfga Patented Feb. 27, 1934 UNITED STE r FICE Albert Common Scott,ilalien, England Application November 24, 19%, Serial No. 497,691, andin Great Britain November 739, i929 4 Claims.

This invention relates more especially to rear axle cases for motorvehicles in which a banjo or annulus with side flanges is pressed upfrom a slotted metal tube; but relates also to other articles having asimilar formation.

In the formation of articles of the above kind, two oppositelongitudinal slots have been formed in a metal tube and the slots spreadsomewhat with suitable tools. The article then place". over a pair ofinternal forming or spreading tools shaped to correspond with theinternal contour of the finished banjo; and these tools are then pressedor drawn apart bringing the banjo to approximate shape and :danging theedges. lift or this operation, if the tools are made of a length whichapproximates to the internal diam eter of the banjo, great dlfficulty isexperienced in removing the article from the tools, owing to theformation of the flanges thereof, as the in ternal diameter of eachflange will usually then be less than the length of the tools, andfurthermore the contour of the flange is usually irregular untilmachined. Heretoiore, in order to avoid this difficulty, the tools havehad to be shortened somewhat, and this of course impairs the shape ofthe banjo.

The object of this invention is to provide a form of tools which willallow of their being longer than has heretofore been possible.

According to one feature of this invention each tool is formed in twoparts, the division being at about the mid-plane of the tool. The onepart may consist of a base portion of the full contour of the tool asseen in plan and extending to about half the height thereof and also ofa mid portion extending the full height of the tool. The other or upperpart partially surrounds the mid portion of the lower part and makes upthe complete tool. It is preferred that the dividing surface between thetwo parts of a tool be slanted downwardly and outwardly. In using thetools, when the spreading operation is complete, the main part of eachtool is withdrawn towards the axis of the article and this leaves theloose parts behind to a more or less degree and this reduces the heightof the tools at the margins. Owing to this the article can be movedendwise in relation to the tools, the flange of the banjo passing at oneend under the tools to some extent. The. other end can then be tilted upto clear it from the tools and the article then moved back endwise whenit comes away entirely free. The part of each tool which comprises themain portion thereof has been spoken of as the lower part and the otheras the upper part. This is (El. HEB-48) usually the case because of theloose pieces; but it will be obvious that the tools can be used theother way up if desired.

The loose pieces need not come completely away from the other portionsof the tools but only slide back somewhat in relation thereto.

A convenient embodiment of the invention is described with reference tothe drawings herewith, of which:-

Figure 1 is a plan view of the forming or spreading tools as they appearprior to the forming o. oration.

re 2 is a front elevation of the tools shown 3 is a section taken on theline 3, 3, of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a part sectional plan view showing the position of the toolsin the banjo after the forming operation.

Figure 5 is a view of the tools as they appear in the banjo after themain or middle portions have been drawn in leaving the lateral portionsbehind.

Figure 6 is a view, partly in section, to show how the banjo can beremoved from the tools.

Fig. 7 is an elevational View, partly in section, of the tool in placeon the bed of a machine, the view being taken at right angles to theviews shown in Figs. 1, 2, e, 5, 6, and 8; and

Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the tool positioned in a blank preparatoryto forming the same before expansion of the tool, the view beingdisposed in a position at right angles to the plane of the view shown inFig. 7.

In these drawings, A A are the main portions of the two tools and B Bthe portions which are movable laterally, each dividing surface C beingsloped downwardly in an outward direction as clearly shown in Figure 3.It will be seen that each portion A has a middle portion at extending upto the full height of the tool, that is to say, to the full height ofthe loose portions B. D D are recesses with which engage the usual taperplunger Y, which presses the tools apart. The tools are mounted onsupports E sliding in the 1 bed of the machine and the spreading plunger(not shown) is carried by the moving head of a suitable press in amanner well understood. As will be seen in Figures 6 and '7 the supportsE are L-shaped members disposed in a groove in the bed of the machineand extending upward to receive the tool members A which are attachedthereto by screws S. These supports E are free to slide longitudinallyof the grooves in which they are disposed. Cooperating blocks X and Xare also mounted on the bed of the machine, block X being stationary andblock X being movable. A hydraulic ram or other suitable means isemployed to move the block X.

The general construction of the apparatus is similar to that shown inapplicants prior Patent 1,548,756, but differs in the details of thespreading tool.

In carrying out the process of forming the banjo from the slotted tube,the latter is first spread somewhat by a separate tool to allow thetools shown in Figure l to be inserted in the manner shown in Figure 8.The movable block X is then moved into engagement with the tube and thattube and the tool members in it are moved into the working position ofthe machine. In this position the slot D is disposed in alignment withthe spreading wedge which is operated to spread the tool members intothe position in which they are shown in Figure 4. The tool members A Aand B B and the forming blocks X and X together form the work to shape.The movable block X is then drawn back into the position in which it isshown in Figure 7. After this the portions A A are drawn towards eachother to the positions shown in Figure 5 leaving the portions B B outagainst the inner wall of the banjo as also shown in Figure 5. The banjocan then be removed from the portions A A by moving it endwise to someextent, the inner edge of the flange at one end movin under the tools Auntil the edge of the flange diametrically opposite clears the oppositeends of the tools A, al1owing it to be lifted up until it can passinwards, over the lower portions of the tools A, to an extent sufficientto allow the first named part of the edge to clear the respective end ofthe tools A, when the banjo will come away completely. The method ofremoval is clearly indicated in Figure 6.

Having fully described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A tool for forming flanged annuli of axle housings and the likecomprising a pair of supporting plates butted together and adapted to bemoved apart, a supporting portion rising out of said plates at the endsthereof, said posts abutting each other when said plates are butted together, the engaging face of each post being cut away at the free end ofthe post to form a V- shaped slot for receiving a spreading tool,forming blocks mounted on said posts and spaced from said plates, saidblocks being formed as segments of a cylinder and adapted to lie on thecircumference thereof when said plates are spread by a tool registeredwith said slot, there being a portion of said blocks separable from therest and adapted to remain on the circumference of said cylinder whensaid plates are reabutted by the withdrawal of said spreading tool.

2. A tool for forming flanged annuli of axle housings comprising, astationary bed plate, a guide means thereon, supporting means on saidguide means and movable therealong, and formblocks mounted on saidsupporting means and shaped to form the Web and flanges of the annulusof a housing, said blocks having a length greater than the diameter ofthe flange of a finished annulus and having an arcuate working face ofradius equal to the radius of the inside face of the web section of afinished annulus, each of said blocks comprising two sections the lowerone of which is rigidly attached to said supporting means and terminatesin an upper face which slopes downwardly toward the web forming face ofthe section, the upper section of said blocks being registered with thelower section and removable therefrom to facilitate removing the blocksfrom a completed annulus formed thereby.

3. A forming tool for use in forming flanged annuli of axle cases andlike articles, comprising a pair of base portions adapted to be forcedapart and being longer than the internal diarneter of the flanges of theannulus, a support upon which said portions are suitably mounted, aloose portion divided from each of said base portions at about midway ofand in a horizontal plane of the tool and being displaceable laterallyin relation to said base portions whereby, after said forming operationand, on the inward movement of said base portions, the loose portionsare left by said base portions in outward lateral displacement inrelation thereto to facilitate the removal of said base portions fromthe formed annulus.

l. A forming tool for use in forming flanged annuli of axle cases andlike articles, comprising a pair of base portions adapted to be forcedapart and being longer than the internal diameter of the flanges, saidbases each having a portion formed to the full contour of the tool and aset back portion or" less lateral dimension, and a loose memberregistering with each base and partially surrounding said set backportion, said loose members being displaceable laterally with respect tosaid base portion upon movement of said tool away from a formed annulusto facilitate removal of the tool therefrom.

ALBERT COMMON SCOTT.

